1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of tools which insert a part into an opening that is smaller than the part being inserted into it. More specifically, it is directed to a tool which can insert a compressible septum into a seat which is smaller in inside diameter than the outside diameter of the septum being inserted in it while preventing contamination of the septum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many chemical and forensic laboratories an important analytical instrument is a chromatograph, for example, a gas liquid chromatograph (glc). These chromatographs are capable of separating mixtures of chemicals into their individual components, identifying the components of a mixture, and measuring the relative amounts of each component. In order to place a sample of a mixture into the chromatograph, a small amount of the sample is drawn into a microsyringe, the needle of which is then inserted through a rubber septum to inject the sample into the vaporization zone of the glc. Heretofore, the insertion of a septum into its seat while preparing the instrument to perform its analytical task has been quite difficult, usually requiring the individual installing the septum to hold the septum in a pair of tweezers while forcing it into the opening with a screw driver or some similar instrument. The difficulty of this operation stems from the fact that the diameter of the septum prior to being inserted in the seat is greater than the diameter of the seat. Because of the extreme sensitivity of a chromatograph, it is highly desirable to prevent any contact with human skin because this contact would contaminate the septum with oils and other impurities present on the skin and impair the accuracy of subsequent analyses. Currently such contact is almost inevitable because of the methods available for inserting septums into seats having a smaller diameter than the septum. There is no known tool to perform this operation in a way which avoids all possibility of contamination and which simplifies the insertion of the septum at the same time.